At a recent photoshoot, I was excited to learn that a hairstylist and makeup artist would be present, as neither are my strong suit. As I excitedly sat in the chair to get my makeup done, I asked her what she planned to do and then explained the type of look I felt comfortable with. She assured me that the end result would be great. When my makeup was complete, my initial response was, “Oh, okay!” It looked very thick and heavy, but the lighting was bright and I still needed to get my hair done. During the whole hair process I was a bit anxious, but still very trusting, as she was the “professional”. When she finished, I was dismayed. I left the room, asked for opinions from others, but the look never quite sat right with me. Just to be safe I took a picture of myself and viewed it. I shrieked! My face looked like it was attached to someone else’s body and my hair looked like a matted bird’s nest. When I told the stylist I wasn’t comfortable with the look, she was very understanding and stated that she was inexperienced in working with black hair. I thanked her for being honest and proceeded to undo the damage to my face and my hair. The end result was just average, but tolerable.
The reality is that not all stylists (even professionals) are well versed in working with darker skin tones and different hair textures. The foundation used on my face was for fair complected skin and the products she put in my hair were counter productive. My face was lighter than the rest of my body and my hair was a disaster. Lesson learned: I don’t care how many years the stylist has been in business, always ask if he/she is competent in working with ethnic skin and hair textures.
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